Alta Magazine Podcast

This very special Alta podcast welcomes young authors and poets from 826 Valencia, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students with their writing skills. Today, we’re meeting at 826’s Tenderloin location with four students whose work has appeared on the 826 Valencia podcast, “Message in a Bottle." Our guests include Sara, age 10, Dax, age 12, Emily, age 13, and Julissa, who’s 18.

Everyone likes a good news — and we're delighted to include some today. Our guest is Bonnie Tsui, a journalist, author and Alta contributor. In our Winter 2020 Issue, Bonnie reports on a program in the Monterey peninsula that offers safe parking lots to homeless people living in their cars. She’s here today to discuss that program—and to provide an update on one of the people profiled in her article. Bonnie author of the award-winning American Chinatown; her next book, Why We Swim, will be published by Algonquin Books in April 2020. Previously for Alta, Bonnie wrote about fighting California’s wildfires from the sky.

How does the death of an immigrant killed in the 1950's by Anaheim police and a 2019 family funeral converge into one incredible moment for Gustavo Arellano? He joins the Alta podcast to explain.  Arellano, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times and regular contributor to Alta, shares what turned out to be a deeply personal journey in our Winter 2020 issue. Titled, “The Tomb of the Unknown Wetback,” this is the story of Juan Peña Diaz, an undocumented worker from Mexico who was almost forgotten by history. Almost. Gustavo's previous work for Alta includes an in-depth look at the shifting political landscape of Orange County, a profile of a Los Angeles attorney who represents top gymnasts who claimed they were abused by their team’s doctor, and what turned out to be a highly-controversial critique of the hype surrounding the In-N-Out Burger chain.

You've never heard Paula West like this before. In this episode, recorded on November 13, 2019 at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley California, West discusses her process—and her politics— in this intimate evening of conversation and music. West, who was backed by a jazz trio as she performed a number of songs, was also interviewed by journalist Marcus Crowder in front of a packed house of Alta members.  This event was inspired by Crowder’s profile of West in Alta’s Fall 2019 issue.

Today's guest is Jason G. Goldman, a science journalist, author, and expedition leader based in Los Angeles. He is one of the authors of the newly released "Wild L.A.: Explore the Amazing Nature In and Around Los Angeles. Jason has written a number of stories for Alta, including two cover stories. His latest for us focuses on UC Riverside researcher Chris Clark, whose research on hummingbirds is changing the way we understand the species. 

Can cancer be funny? Author Mary Ladd and illustrator Don Asmussen certainly think so. The pair, both of whom have fought (and are fighting) cancer diagnoses, join the Alta podcast to laugh in the face of deadly disease and discuss their book, “The Wig Diaries.” Ladd wrote about the California Hall of Fame for Alta earlier this year and is a member of the Writer’s Grotto. Asmussen is the creator of Bad Reporter, a twice-weekly political comic strip in the San Francisco Chronicle. Penned by Ladd with illustrations by Asmussen, “The Wig Diaries” bears witness to the blunt horror —and the hilarious jokes —provided by this all too common illness.

Burger King, loneliness, binoculars, and camp coffee; it was all part of Nick Neely's quest to better understand California.  Neely is a California-based author whose book, Alta California, chronicles his 12-week hike from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay. Neely followed the (nearly) exact footsteps of Gaspar de Portola and his 1769 overland expedition of soldiers and priests intent on claiming California for Spain and establishing the West's Catholic mission system. Neely's journey—as chronicled in his book—was a transformative experience. He joins the Alta podcast to discuss that and more. 

"I got to be a hero." David Harris is former contributing editor to the New York Times and to Rolling Stone, and he is the author of nearly a dozen books—but Harris is most famous for leading the draft resistance during the Vietnam War. He was imprisoned for 20 months for refusing to report for military service, and is credited by many with helping to end the war. We joined Harris at his home in Marin County to discuss his work, his thoughts on the state of union, and how a terminal illness hasn’t dimmed his hope for the future. Read Alan Goldfarb's profile of Harris in the Alta 2019 Fall Issue. 

The Fall, 2019 issue of Alta features the magazine’s first standalone section on books and literature spearheaded by our books editor, David Ulin. In this podcast, we’ll explore how Alta’s Book Guide came to fruition with Ulin, as well as hear from included authors Carolina De Robertis, Matthew Zapruder. The Book Guide adds some serious pages to the magazine. Pick up this issue and you can tell, we’ve gained some paper weight. According to Ulin, now is absolutely the right time for Alta to invest our ink in covering literature. The 28 books highlighted in this special magazine section address topics ranging from immigration, race, and gender—to skateboards, drugs, and the wonders of nature. Each title is by a Western author, and is reviewed by a Western writer such as, Pam Houston on Terry Tempest WIlliams’ Erosion, Alexander Chee on Alex Epsinosa’s Cruising, and Emily Rapp Black on Téa Obreht’s Inland, to name just a few. The section also includes excerpts by Joan Didion and Kimi Eisele. Pick up your copy today!  

What do the CIA, an outdoor clothing company, and a Yosemite campsite all have in common? Tom Frost.  Famous in climbing circles for his remarkable humility, Frost is one of the lesser-known legends of the rock climbing world—as well as a photographer, conservationist, and inspiration to generations of outdoor enthusiasts. He was also a complicated and passionate man whose story hasn't really been told—until now.  Today’s podcast guests are Tom Seawell and Craig Flax, two of the filmmakers behind a feature-length documentary film about Frost. Alta is a sponsor of this upcoming film, and we feature a look at Frost’s efforts to preserve a beloved Yosemite campgroud in our Fall 2019 issue.

Rachel Levin went where very few have gone before — she ate a chicken nugget made out of man-made meat. "Motherless meat" is different from plant-based alternative meats, like the "Impossible Burger" and others. Technically, it is created from cells that come from real animals. And while a man-made meat nugget might cost $100 to make today, the technology could help alleviate a growing global need for meat, and offer an alternative to an industry that some believe is cruel to animals. Levin is a San Francisco-based journalist who has written for such publications as the New York Times, the New Yorker, and Sunset magazine, where she was a senior travel editor. Rachel was the first San Francisco restaurant critic Eater, and now pens a semi-regular column about restaurant regulars for the San Francisco Chronicle’s food section. She is the author of LOOK BIG: And Other Tips for Surviving Animal Encounters of All Kinds, which was published last year. Her next book, EAT SOMETHING, co-authored with Wise Sons Deli, will be out this spring.  Read her article here. 

Joel Sartore is on a one-man mission to build a photographic library of every animal in human care. He's like Noah—with a really fancy camera. An award-winning photographer, speaker, author and conservationist, Sartore is founder of The Photo Ark, a 25-year project to document every species in zoos and sanctuaries around the globe. You can spot some of those animal images in the Fall 2019 issue of Alta.Sartore joined us to explain to concept and process of the Photo Ark, detail the difference between photographing humans vs. animals, and reveal which creatures garner the biggest viewer response. 

What special challenges do women musicians face that their male counterparts don't? Have those challenges changed, and in what ways? How do traditional music organizations work towards inclusion in the 21st century? In this podcast episode, recorded on May 20, 2019 at Books Inc’s Opera Plaza location, we partnered with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to host a panel discussion on women’s emerging roles in classical music, the issues and challenges female musicians face, and a look at the future of inclusivity in music. Moderated by SFCM faculty member, author, opera singer and neuroscientist Indre Viskontas, this event featured an honest and hopeful look at women’s work within classical music from our panel accomplished female musicians including Nicole Paiement of Opera Parallele, Cordula Merks of San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, and Melissa Kleinbart of the San Francisco Symphony. This event was inspired by Catherine Womack’s article on the diversity and female composers working with L.A. Phil. Titled “Sanctuary City,” her story was published in the Summer 2019 issue of Alta.

CalFire's aerial firefighting fleet is the largest of its kind in the world. Today’s guest, award-winning and best-selling author Bonnie Tsui, reported for Alta on the men and women who battle California wildfires from the sky. These first responders, many who fight fires in their own communities, face unique and complex challenges—challenges that are only growing as California deals with our new reality of the mega fire. Bonnie’s work has appeared in the New York Times, California Sunday, Outside, the Atlantic, and many more.  

Musso & Frank Grill is a Los Angeles institution. Writer David Kipen visited this storied dining spot (in character as The Anniversarist) and he's now on a mission to be a Musso regular. Kipen joins the Alta podcast to explain the staying power of this century-old legend, remember two longtime Musso employees who recently passed away, and detail the old-school recipes that remain on the Musso menu. Lobster Thermidor, anyone? 

Phil Witte, a humorist, journalist, cartoonist and lawyer living in Oakland, joins us for an Alta podcast to talk about his process and the quirky world of cartoonists. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Reader’s Digest, and museums and galleries around the globe. He was a cartoonist in residence at the Charles Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa and has written for Bizzaro cartoonist Dan Piraro. Phil’s cartoons have ALSO appeared in Altatudes, the collection of cartoons that we select for the back page of every issue of Alta.

What led to—and has arisen from—the infamous 1969 Manson Family murders is weirder, darker, and more hypocritical than you ever imagined. Writer Denise Hamilton, who's been on the Helter Skelter Manson Murder bus tour, joins the Alta podcast to detail the many ways money continues to be made from the Tate/LaBianca murders, and how the families of the victims feel about our Manson obsession. 

Wild mustang populations are out of control, competing with cattle and native wildlife for vital resources like land and water. If the federal government doesn’t rein them in, ranchers may take matters into their own hands. Journalist Jason Goldman joins the podcast to discuss his latest Alta cover story, focused on the controversy surrounding the thousands of feral horses in Northern California's Modoc National Forest—and beyond. 

Today’s guest is Po Bronson, a longtime science journalist who has been recognized with nine national honors, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science Journalism Award. He works as strategy director at IndieBio and serves as a futurist with Attention Span Media. In the Summer 2019 issue of Alta, Po wrote about Planet, a San Francisco-based company that uses shoeboxed sized satellites to take images of nearly everything on Earth – from space. He joins us to explain how and why Planet is the "Batman" of satellite imaging. 

In this bonus episode of the Alta podcast, recorded on March 21, 2019 at Books Inc’s Opera Plaza location, we discuss the many complicated legacies of the late Steve Jobs with three Silicon Valley mainstays who worked with and knew him well. Our panelists include Andy Hertzfeld, who was a member of the original Apple Macintosh development team in the 1980s, Tom Zito, who penned the recent Alta article on Steve Jobs that inspired this event, and who first met Jobs in 1977 while working for the Washington Post, and Al Alcorn, who among other things created the Pong video game, and first hired an 18-year-old Steve Jobs at Atari. Along with moderator Blaise Zerega, Alta’s Managing Editor, the panel recollects their time with Jobs and debates the many legacies of this man who changed the way we communicate

Today’s guest is Mark Potts, former (and founding) Managing Editor of the Journal of Alta California. Mark has covered business and the media for the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Associated Press and he currently lives in Lawrence, Kansas. Mark wrote our Summer 2019 cover story, a look at the past, present and the future of the storied Los Angeles Times and is here to detail the many ups and downs of this legendary daily paper. 

Based in Los Angeles, Safi Alia Shabaik is a founding member of the Los Angeles Street Collective and a teaching assistant at the Los Angeles Center of Photography. She’s also worked as a stylist and muse to performer Grace Jones and — as a mortician. Safi’s work explores underground subculture and nightlife in Los Angeles, and a collection of her rare color images are featured in the Summer 2019 issue of Alta. She joins us to explain why connecting with the bold beauty of L.A. underground nightlife is an important part of our humanity. 

Matt Smith, a journalist for the Center for Investigative Reporting, joins us to discuss the hot-button issue of feral cats. For Alta’s Summer 2019 Issue, Matt wrote about the oddly complicated world of feral cats — their devoted fans, their activist euthanizers, and the section of Disneyland that is home to dozens of them. Yes. Disneyland. Today, he’s going to take us even deeper into this heated and, quite frankly fascinating issue.

In a Bonus Episode of our Alta Podcast, we visit author Julian Guthrie to discuss her new book, Alpha Girls: The Woman Upstarts Who Took On Silicon Valley's Male Culture and Made Deals of a Lifetime. Guthrie explains how she researched this intimate look at some of venture capital's leading partners, and reveals that her book will soon be developed for television.

Think you know Jack (London)? Think again. Writer Joy Lanzendorfer joins us to discuss the tragedy that broke the famed author's heart, his complexities, passions, and untimely death. In our Summer 2019 issue, Joy details author Jack London’s rise from abject poverty to become the highest paid author of his day. With his success, London saw his dreams come true, and then watched one of them — the dream for his own beautiful mansion — burn to the ground before he ever got a chance to live in it. Joy is an award-winning writer and novelist, with bylines in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Review of Books and now, Alta.

Explore the hardscrabble times, places, and people of Texas and New Mexico in our panel discussion titled Busted: Brash Stories from Texas and New Mexico. Authors Joshua Wheeler and Bryan Mealer join Alta contributor and Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano to recount the booms, busts and bold characters of life in the Southwestern United States. Busted was recorded on March 7, 2019 at The Huntington Library in San Marino, California and is presented in partnership with the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West.    Show notes: Read a condensed transcript of this event Joshua Wheeler's Acid West Bryan Mealer's The Kings of Big Spring Gustavo Arellano at the Los Angeles Times and at Alta  Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West The Huntington Library  

Michael Bauer, the former food critic of the San Francisco Chronicle for over 30 years. Michael has won numerous national awards in his nearly four decades of food journalism, and while retired from the Chronicle, he continues to write — including for us at Alta Magazine. Michael joins the Alta podcast to talk about emerging trends at dining around California, an unexpected dining destination, and $70 chicken.   Read Michael's review of Angler in a recent issue of Alta Magazine  Check out Michael on another Alta podcast, defending San Francisco's food scene over Los Angeles's Michael Bauer's feature on the food and wine of Baja, Napa of the South Follow Michael Bauer on Twitter Follow Alta on Twitter

Blaise Zerega, formerly a writer and editor at publications like Wired and Conde Nast Portfolio and now, he’s the Managing Editor of Alta Magazine. Blaise's latest piece for the magazine is a look at the rapidly growing popularity of podcasts — and what that means for the future of this very intimate medium. He joins us to talk about the history and the future of podcasting, and to recommend three podcasts that are doing it well.  Read Blaise's feature in Alta Magazine, How We Listen: The Podcast Boom Check out Alta's picks for 10 great California-based podcasts Follow Blaise Zerega on Twitter Follow Alta on Twitter

Cindy Hegger specializes in end-of-life photography. She began this stage of her business after photographing activists working in Sacramento to pass what ultimately became California’s End of Life Option Act, a law that allows terminally ill residents to end their life with self-administered drugs. Cindy and her clients treat the end of one’s life just like any other major milestone — something that should be documented with photos and treasured. Her work — and the process of end of life photography, is featured in the latest issue of Alta Magazine. She joins Alta's podcast to discuss her work and why her end of life photos aren't sad, they're joyful. 

Dangerous fumes. Explosions. Terrorism. Lisa Korbatov has cited all sorts of dire threats in her efforts to prevent LA Metro from digging a subway tunnel under Beverly Hills High School — without success. Now, with the project about to break ground, Korbatov has one last hope: an appeal to her friend in the White House. Journalists Matt Smith and Lance Williams from the Center for Investigative reporting join Alta's podcast to detail this extraordinary fight — and one extraordinary fighter.  Show notes: Read Matt and Smith's feature in Alta Magazine Center for Investigative Reporting/Reveal podcast Follow Lance Williams on Twitter Follow Matt Smith on Twitter Follow Alta on Twitter

Writer Zack Ruskin takes us into the underground world of urban explorers, a collection of bold adventurers who make their way, legal or not, into abandoned buildings and structures. Show notes: Zack's original article that appeared in Alta's Spring 2019 issue Tunnelbug's Instagram Tunnelbug's Flickr Reddit/Urban Exploration

Historian Bill Deverell joins the Alta podcast to discuss the 1949 San Marino “girl in the well” story. Bill details of this historic piece of California history and explains how little Kathy Fiscus’ fall into a well changed the course of modern media.

Alta contributing editor Gustavo Arellano defends his distaste for In-N-Out Burger, comparing the West Coast chain to the most cliche aspects of California living and reveals his top picks for solid (and local) fast food — without the 30-minute drive-thru line.

Quinn Cummings, a regular contributor to Alta, an author and an Oscar-nominated actress reveals all from her ride aboard a TMZ Hollywood Celebrity Tour bus — an experience we’re really curious about but not sure we could actually stomach ourselves.

Journalist and author John Markoff discusses the Whole Earth Catalog, a long defunct counter-culture magazine and product catalog published by writer and entrepreneur Stewart Brand. Markoff details how the catalog came to be, why the Whole Earth Catalog was so vital, the ways it influenced Silicon Valley, and if there will ever be anything like it again.

In this Alta Podcast, Byard Duncan, a journalist for Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, discusses the millions of bees shipped into California’s almond orchards every winter and the criminals who make careers out of stealing them.

In this week's Alta Podcast, Gustavo Arellano discusses the shifting cultural landscape of Orange County, how and why the OC changing, how politicians are responding to the shifts, and what that might mean for the rest of the state — and the country. 

Journalist Carrie Beauchamp takes us behind the scenes of particularly rare Hollywood photo shoot in 1953 starring Marilyn Monroe and a lavish 16-acre Beverly Hills estate.

In this Alta Podcast, food writer Tamara Palmer makes it clear that when it comes to cuisine, LA is killing it right now. Meanwhile, longtime critic Michael Bauer defends San Francisco's culinary honor. 

In this Alta Podcast, Cathy Cassady and journalist David Ulin discuss the famous letter Cathy's dad, Neal Cassady, wrote author Jack Kerouac, its impact on American literature, Neal Cassady’s major role in the Beat Generation and the little-known but vital work of author Carolyn Cassady.

Miriam Pawel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, historian and author of several books, including the newly released “The Browns of California,” sits down with University of Southern California professor and historian Bill Deverell to discuss the political dynasty of former California governor Pat Brown, his son, Governor Jerry Brown, and the story of California through one extraordinary family.

Longtime Newsweek film critic and current lead programmer of the Palm Springs International Film Festival David Ansen explains exactly why he's never really liked the "Star Wars" franchise, details the backlash his "Star Wars" reviews have received and talks about the ever-changing world of film. 

"The California Field Atlas" author and artist Obi Kaufmann discusses his creative process, his plans for future work and why he's really not wild about being compared to John Muir. 

Alta contributor Shane Downing takes us into the battle to create an LGBTQ museum, explains the pros and cons of having such a museum in San Francisco versus elsewhere in the country and details the forces behind the movement. 

Blaise Zerega reports on Vi, a new in-ear AI device that encourages the user throughout a workout, monitors body data and offers fitness advice in much the same a human trainer would — without the weekly cost. Zerega also explains how a new pill can actually mimic the physical effects of exercise without requiring the user to move a muscle. 

Journalists Patrick Michels and Eric Sagara of Reveal/The Center for Investigative Reporting take us onto their research for their "Sonoma's Burning Problem" story, explain exactly why some geographic areas are more susceptible to fires than others and reveal how their work on this story changed the way they see fire safety in their own homes.

Emergency preparedness expert Janelle Fazackerly details exactly what's missing from most survival kits on the market and advises listeners on how to supplement their kits to best support their families when "The Big One" inevitably hits.